Effect of Solubilization on Corn Husk and Supplmentation with Cassava Leaf or Leucaena Leaf Meal Based Diet on Feed Intake and Digestion in Yankassa Sheep

Sixteen growing Yankassa sheep weighing between 12.50 and 13.25 kg with age range of 8-10 months were used to evaluate the effect of solubilization on cornhusk supplemented with Cassava lead or Leucaena leaf based diets on feed intake and digestion. Some of the cornhusk were treated with Iye solution (pH 10.7) obtained from cocoa pod husk ash at 2 g ash/100 mL water kg 1 cornhusk. The other part of the cornhusk was treated with equivalent quantity of water as above. Both cornhusks were ensiled (biological treatment) for 28 days. For the cocoa pod husk ash treated cornhusk, CP, ND, ADF and ADL were solubilised, improvising and potential degradability and degradation rate of cornhusk. The treated cornhusks were supplemented with Cassava leave and Leucaena leave meal diets and fed to the growing sheep in the following dietary combination: cocoa pod husk ash treated Cornhusk + Cassava Leaf Meal based diet (CCLM), water treated Cornhusk + Cassava Leaf Meal based diet (CLLM) and water treated cornhusk + Leucaena leaf meal based diet (BLLM). The duration of the experiment was 63 days and parameters such as feed intake; weight gain, digestibility and nitrogen balance were measured. Total DMI (g/DM/day) was significant (p<0.05) among treatment means with the highest recorded in T3 (485.84). Nutrient intake (g kg0.75day) was significantly different among the treatments. Digestibility%, daily weight Gain (g) and feed efficiency were significantly (p<0.05) lower in animals on chemically untreated cornhusk, when compared to those on treated cornhusk. Values reported for N intake were not significantly different (p<0.05) between the groups of animals on the LLM diet (T3 and T4). It may be concluded that corn husk are potentially valuable feed resources for ruminants, but for efficient utilization it should be subjected to physic biological and chemical treatment.